I have been one of those people who laughed at those who kept a blog and now look at me. Eating my own words as I sit down to write a blog post :)
I know a lot of you want to hear about my adventures in India! I am here for 3.5 months teaching life skills through dance to children in kindergarten through 10th grade at a school in Southern India. I am here with two non-profit organizations: Rising Star Outreach of India as well as Promethean Spark. Many of the children at the school live at the school because their families are far away. Most have grown up with their parents in impoverished villages or have grown up in the leper colonies in India because their parents and/or family have leprosy. Because of this, many of these students have not had the chance to learn any vital life skills to help them succeed in life. This is where the volunteers and I come in. Through education, medical, and construction staff, we are trying to make their world a better place, show them they can do great things, and show them that their lives are worth living. I am privileged enough to get to teach these life skills through my favorite art form of dance. I am the only volunteer here teaching dance classes. It has been stressful but rewarding so far!
I am going to try to write a blog post about once a week (though I can't promise anything!) and let you know the highlights of the week. Everyday is such an adventure! There is always something new and so much going on! I love this country!!
Day 1:
Got in very late. It was a very long couple of days of traveling but I had gotten there safe and everything went smoothly. Many prayers were answered and definitely some miracles in there! The drive home from the airport I was exhausted but couldn't help but stare out the window with a big grin on my face. I love being in another country! Went right to bed when I got there.
Day 2:
Got to know my roommate and we had some great discussions while I was unpacking. She is great! Met the other volunteers and got a tour of the Elephant House where I am staying. They are all so wonderful! Just stellar people! I got a tour of the school and ate lunch with the kids. Eating with your hands is pretty fun :) The kids were so excited to meet me. They have a lot of energy but are so easy to love! There are so many names and so many I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce so will be a struggle to learn them all! Some of the volunteers and I rode bikes into town to the "junction." We just walked around, saw lots of monkeys, went into a few shops. Got lots of stares :) Gotta love having blonde hair in India! Had a poisonous snake outside of the hostel. One of the guards came and killed it with a stick. That night the volunteers and I all just talked and got to know each other. First bucket shower tonight was pretty exciting :) Just my first full day and already saw lots of stray cows and dogs walking around, all kinds of bugs, goats, snakes, and monkeys.
Day 3:
Today was Sunday! Went to the branch in Madras. About an hour and 45 min. drive. It was fast and testimony meeting so heard some beautiful testimonies in both English and Tamil (their native language of the state of Tamil-Nadu, where campus is). It is amazing how the Spirit is felt no matter what language is being spoken. The Spirit knows no language. I helped in primary and then got asked to teach next week already! The members here are so dedicated! Many have only been members for a few years but already know so much! Stopped at a mall and walked around on the way home. Since the biggest city next to us is Chennai and is right where church is, we usually do our grocery shopping then since it is such a long drive.
Day 4:
Had my first class at 8:20 am. It was 8th standard (grade, they call it standard here). They are very rowdy so had to be very strict but went well. Got to google+ with the whole family after. Then taught kindergarten (called UKG here) and they were pretty wild. The language barrier makes it very hard to teach them! You have to do everything so they can just copy it. Had a break and then had 1st standard which went a bit better. 5th standard was next and it went well. Then had LifeDance. This is Promethean Spark's dance company who have shown they have the dance skills as well as the life skills to be on this team. They are very fun to work with and good kids! Today another girl got here who is going to help me with the dance classes for the month of January! She is from India and is very sweet. Her name is Shynee. It's been nice to have someone else to teach with! We both have very different ideas but have come up with some good compromises!
Day 5:
Taught 6th standard with Shynee. We had a Skype session with Shaun to talk some things over and get some ideas. The next class was great! Our next class wasn't able to come due to school work and the class after that only came for the last 10 minutes of class. During LifeDance we ran through all of the old dances they have to prepare them for the talent show that is coming up this month. Dance teaching has been a bit frustrating because all of the teaching methods and techniques I have don't work here. I am having to come up with new methods and develop them while I am here. But I know it will work out and be so good for me! The days are definitely filled with lots of ups and downs. Tonight I went to "story time" where you can go into the kids' hostels and tell them stories. This was wonderful. Helped remind me why I am here. These kids need so much love and attention.
Day 6:
Classes went okay today. Skyped Shaun again today and got some more ideas. Definitely been learning humility lately, it was a bit of a low night. Kaylee, one of the other volunteers, and I did some ab workouts and goofed off.
Day 7:
Went and did a spice trail today! Drove the almost 2 hours into Chennai and met with two darling Indian ladies who took us around town to buy ingredients and then showed us and helped us make Indian food all while telling us about the history of the spices we were using. It was so interesting and delicious! Such a fun day!
Day 8:
Kami had her baby! He is 8 pounds and his name is Graham. I was so excited! I am now an aunt!! Today I went to my first leprosy colony. I get to help with the medical team at the leprosy colonies on Thursdays and Fridays because I only have LifeDance in the evenings. It was a very small colony. There are only about 7 people there. We set up the medical stations and got started. I was in charge of taking off bandages. There was only two patients that we helped. These people are truly incredible. They have been banished here and considered "untouchables" but are so sweet and just crave human interaction. There was one particular man there, Jayraj, who was hysterical! He loved to dance! We turned on music after helping and just danced with him! We are trying to get all of them up and moving for some physical therapy. This man has so much life in him even though life has taken so much out of him. It was an amazing experience. Also had some time to tell about my religion to others of other faiths while I have been here and it's been great! Growing up in Utah I haven't had many of those experiences. Tonight we did delousing for the children. Almost all of them have lice so we put ointment onto their hair. They all got in lines and all of the volunteers helped. Definitely a new experience! Lots of firsts today: my first time being an aunt, first time at a leprosy colony, and first time delousing!
Day 9:
Had a nutrition class in Chennai for a Relief Society activity taught by our dear Dale and Lily Simpson who are coordinators. It was very interesting and had lots of yummy food! Stopped at the mall and got some elephant earrings and tried some treats at a sweet shop. Because the holiday Pongal is coming up soon, it took us about 4 hours to get home! Quite an adventure! We had lots of story time during the car ride with the volunteers :)
Well that's all I got time for right now! More to come and pictures to come as well! Hope you enjoy!!
I know a lot of you want to hear about my adventures in India! I am here for 3.5 months teaching life skills through dance to children in kindergarten through 10th grade at a school in Southern India. I am here with two non-profit organizations: Rising Star Outreach of India as well as Promethean Spark. Many of the children at the school live at the school because their families are far away. Most have grown up with their parents in impoverished villages or have grown up in the leper colonies in India because their parents and/or family have leprosy. Because of this, many of these students have not had the chance to learn any vital life skills to help them succeed in life. This is where the volunteers and I come in. Through education, medical, and construction staff, we are trying to make their world a better place, show them they can do great things, and show them that their lives are worth living. I am privileged enough to get to teach these life skills through my favorite art form of dance. I am the only volunteer here teaching dance classes. It has been stressful but rewarding so far!
I am going to try to write a blog post about once a week (though I can't promise anything!) and let you know the highlights of the week. Everyday is such an adventure! There is always something new and so much going on! I love this country!!
Day 1:
Got in very late. It was a very long couple of days of traveling but I had gotten there safe and everything went smoothly. Many prayers were answered and definitely some miracles in there! The drive home from the airport I was exhausted but couldn't help but stare out the window with a big grin on my face. I love being in another country! Went right to bed when I got there.
Day 2:
Got to know my roommate and we had some great discussions while I was unpacking. She is great! Met the other volunteers and got a tour of the Elephant House where I am staying. They are all so wonderful! Just stellar people! I got a tour of the school and ate lunch with the kids. Eating with your hands is pretty fun :) The kids were so excited to meet me. They have a lot of energy but are so easy to love! There are so many names and so many I have never heard of and can hardly pronounce so will be a struggle to learn them all! Some of the volunteers and I rode bikes into town to the "junction." We just walked around, saw lots of monkeys, went into a few shops. Got lots of stares :) Gotta love having blonde hair in India! Had a poisonous snake outside of the hostel. One of the guards came and killed it with a stick. That night the volunteers and I all just talked and got to know each other. First bucket shower tonight was pretty exciting :) Just my first full day and already saw lots of stray cows and dogs walking around, all kinds of bugs, goats, snakes, and monkeys.
Day 3:
Today was Sunday! Went to the branch in Madras. About an hour and 45 min. drive. It was fast and testimony meeting so heard some beautiful testimonies in both English and Tamil (their native language of the state of Tamil-Nadu, where campus is). It is amazing how the Spirit is felt no matter what language is being spoken. The Spirit knows no language. I helped in primary and then got asked to teach next week already! The members here are so dedicated! Many have only been members for a few years but already know so much! Stopped at a mall and walked around on the way home. Since the biggest city next to us is Chennai and is right where church is, we usually do our grocery shopping then since it is such a long drive.
Day 4:
Had my first class at 8:20 am. It was 8th standard (grade, they call it standard here). They are very rowdy so had to be very strict but went well. Got to google+ with the whole family after. Then taught kindergarten (called UKG here) and they were pretty wild. The language barrier makes it very hard to teach them! You have to do everything so they can just copy it. Had a break and then had 1st standard which went a bit better. 5th standard was next and it went well. Then had LifeDance. This is Promethean Spark's dance company who have shown they have the dance skills as well as the life skills to be on this team. They are very fun to work with and good kids! Today another girl got here who is going to help me with the dance classes for the month of January! She is from India and is very sweet. Her name is Shynee. It's been nice to have someone else to teach with! We both have very different ideas but have come up with some good compromises!
Day 5:
Taught 6th standard with Shynee. We had a Skype session with Shaun to talk some things over and get some ideas. The next class was great! Our next class wasn't able to come due to school work and the class after that only came for the last 10 minutes of class. During LifeDance we ran through all of the old dances they have to prepare them for the talent show that is coming up this month. Dance teaching has been a bit frustrating because all of the teaching methods and techniques I have don't work here. I am having to come up with new methods and develop them while I am here. But I know it will work out and be so good for me! The days are definitely filled with lots of ups and downs. Tonight I went to "story time" where you can go into the kids' hostels and tell them stories. This was wonderful. Helped remind me why I am here. These kids need so much love and attention.
Day 6:
Classes went okay today. Skyped Shaun again today and got some more ideas. Definitely been learning humility lately, it was a bit of a low night. Kaylee, one of the other volunteers, and I did some ab workouts and goofed off.
Day 7:
Went and did a spice trail today! Drove the almost 2 hours into Chennai and met with two darling Indian ladies who took us around town to buy ingredients and then showed us and helped us make Indian food all while telling us about the history of the spices we were using. It was so interesting and delicious! Such a fun day!
Day 8:
Kami had her baby! He is 8 pounds and his name is Graham. I was so excited! I am now an aunt!! Today I went to my first leprosy colony. I get to help with the medical team at the leprosy colonies on Thursdays and Fridays because I only have LifeDance in the evenings. It was a very small colony. There are only about 7 people there. We set up the medical stations and got started. I was in charge of taking off bandages. There was only two patients that we helped. These people are truly incredible. They have been banished here and considered "untouchables" but are so sweet and just crave human interaction. There was one particular man there, Jayraj, who was hysterical! He loved to dance! We turned on music after helping and just danced with him! We are trying to get all of them up and moving for some physical therapy. This man has so much life in him even though life has taken so much out of him. It was an amazing experience. Also had some time to tell about my religion to others of other faiths while I have been here and it's been great! Growing up in Utah I haven't had many of those experiences. Tonight we did delousing for the children. Almost all of them have lice so we put ointment onto their hair. They all got in lines and all of the volunteers helped. Definitely a new experience! Lots of firsts today: my first time being an aunt, first time at a leprosy colony, and first time delousing!
Day 9:
Had a nutrition class in Chennai for a Relief Society activity taught by our dear Dale and Lily Simpson who are coordinators. It was very interesting and had lots of yummy food! Stopped at the mall and got some elephant earrings and tried some treats at a sweet shop. Because the holiday Pongal is coming up soon, it took us about 4 hours to get home! Quite an adventure! We had lots of story time during the car ride with the volunteers :)
Well that's all I got time for right now! More to come and pictures to come as well! Hope you enjoy!!
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